Jake Kasdan’s Red One entered U.S. theaters on November 15, 2024 as a comedy-action blockbuster rendition with a twist of Christmas spirit. Known for directing Jumanji: The Next Level, Kasdan specializes in comedy movies, but Red One may be overly saturated with humor. The movie begins by following a young Jack O’Malley, a Christmas skeptic obsessed with locating his absent father. Now an adult, Jack becomes not only a mercenary hacker, but also a distant father to his own son, Dylan. Jack’s role as an anti-hero is defined in the exposition, where he is characterized as a lonesome miscreant through clever but devious behavior, including literally stealing candy from a baby. Meanwhile, Santa Claus (code name Red One) and head commander of E.L.F. (Enforcement Logistics and Fortification) security, Callum Drift, continue preparations for Christmas. However, Santa is kidnapped on Christmas Eve, causing Callum to seek the help of both Jack and M.O.R.A. (Mythological Oversight and Restoration Authority) Director Zoe.
Red One features a cast of high demand actors and actresses: Chis Evans as Jack O’Malley, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Callum Drift, J.K. Simmons as Santa Claus, and Lucy Liu as M.O.R.A. Director Zoe. Due to its elite cast and excessive marketing, Red One had a substantial budget of $250 million. However, Johnson’s salary alone constituted ⅕ of the budget. Furthermore, Red One only earned $149 million in the box office, just nearly covering the costs of Johnson’s $50 million salary and the movie’s $100 million marketing. Red One was a total budget bust, but was the movie itself so terrible?
Possibly the greatest feature of Red One was its imaginative world building and engaging visuals. One key aspect of the movie’s plot is the separation between the mythological world and the real world. With giant villainous snowmen, infernal demons, and a monstrous Icelandic troll, the introduction of new mythical antagonists creates new twists in the already preposterous plot. Of these antagonists includes Krampus, a mischievous and hedonistic German goat-demon whose surprisingly complex personality is subtly shown, but not told, through Game of Thrones actor Kristofer Hivju’s performance. Unlike much of Red One’s CGI visuals, detailed prosthetic costumes were designed for Krampus and other demons in the movie.
Due to the comedy-action nature of Red One, the movie’s characters lack depth. Red One delivers a surprisingly profound message with little impact. After working for hundreds of years, Callum initially requests to retire as head commander of E.L.F., losing faith in the Christmas spirit with the increase of Santa’s Naughty List. As a Level 4 Naughty Lister, Jack also finds himself disillusioned with the magic of holiday cheer. However, as the two work together to rescue Santa, they rediscover the true meaning of Christmas. As Callum says to Jack, “We chose everyday who we want to be”, I found myself uninspired. The morale of the movie is heard more than it is seen. The lackluster performance of many talented actors and actresses can only mean one thing: poor screenwriting. An overabundance of cheap jokes and one-liners take away from heavier scenes. Red One is an energetic movie, but it lacks sincerity.
Red One receives a generous score of 3 out of 5 stars. Although the movie had interesting world building with the incorporation of diverse cultural mythology, the overall plot and character development was lacking. However, I found the movie to be somewhat enjoyable due to a combination of interesting visuals and absurd plot developments. Red One may not be a cinematic masterpiece, but it makes a decent Christmas movie.
